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Students who feel ill or have recently traveled to Mexico are being advised to report to a clinic at the Carpenter Sports Building after four university students were identified with suspected cases of swine flu.
The clinic will be staffed by officials from the Delaware Division of Public Health, according an e-mail from university spokesman John Brennan. Students feeling ill may also seek treatment at Student Health Services in Laurel Hall.
According to an e-mail sent Tuesday night by Susan Hall, chair of the department of health, nutrition and exercise science, to students in those majors, the Carpenter Sports Building will be closed for several days, beginning Wednesday.
University Police and employees of the Delaware Division of Public Health were present at the Carpenter Sports Building late Tuesday, but would not comment.
Jay Lynch, spokesman for the Delaware Department of Health Services, said the four students sought treatment Monday at Student Health Services for mild flu-like symptoms. Preliminary tests confirmed the suspected cases, but officials are awaiting final confirmation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The students were never hospitalized, Lynch said.
He said none of the four students have recently traveled to Mexico, where the outbreak of swine flu is thought to have originated. However, one recently traveled to New Jersey, the site of another possible case of swine flu, Lynch said.
University officials activated the UD Alert System Tuesday night to inform students and parents of the suspected cases.
Lynch said privacy laws prohibit the disclosure of information about the four students, including their gender, age and residence.
He said students should take the same precautions they do to prevent against other illnesses. Wearing surgical masks and staying home from class are not necessary, but should be up to the student's discretion, he said.
"I think those are individual decisions people need to make based on the information they have and common sense," Lynch said.
Most classes will continue as normal Wednesday. However, classes at the Carpenter Sports Building are canceled Wednesday, according to the e-mail sent by Hall.
Late Tuesday night, employees at the Pathmark in College Square, which is open 24 hours a day, said since the health alert was issued, many customers have purchased hand sanitizer, cleaning products, masks, gloves and medicine. A Pathmark employee who did not wish to be named said she believes approximately 10 people bought hygienic air filter masks this evening.
The two spots on the shelf that formerly housed Flents high filtration efficiency Maxi-Mask were empty and the number of filter masks in another part of the store was limited.
Check Udreview.com for continued coverage tonight and throughout the week.
Last updated Wednesday, April 29 at 9:44 a.m.
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